Summer Steamer 10K recap

Sorry for the delay!  Technology was not on my side.  I had planned to blog about this last night, but for whatever reason my Netbook will not turn on, even after being on the charger all day.  Better late than never right?

I slept through my first alarm and flipped out when I saw it was 5:12 a.m...I was picking Sharon up at 5:30!  Talk about waking up fast!  I jumped out of bed, got ready, kissed J and jetted off to Sharon's house.  We arrived at the race about 45 minutes before it started, which gave us enough time to get our numbers and shirts, take our Gu, and stretch.  I was a little anxious as this was my first 10K, so when they called us into the starting chute I was a little anxious.  As the starting gun went off, Sharon and I told each other good luck and off we went.

Let's do this!

 The course was fairly flat with a few inclines but nothing too major.  Most of the 10K participants were seasoned runners and were way ahead of me, but I always try to remember not to worry about them and run my own race.  At around mile 2 I started to get nauseous, so I had to really slow down my pace.  I don't like to eat anything before a race because it usually makes me feel worse.  After a few minutes the nausea went away and I continued my run/walk.

Source

I wish I could take pictures during my races with my phone, but since I use it for both music and my GPS, it's better to stay on my arm.  The course was mainly around industrial parks and car dealerships, so while not the most scenic route, it was decent.  When we got onto a few main roads, I ran as close to the other lane as I could so that when cars drove by I would get a little burst of wind :)  It was a hot and humid morning with very little shade on the course.

Finally, the end was in sight.  I tried to push it as much as I could with what little steam I had left.

And it was official...I had finished my very first 10K race!  I ran over to the water tent to grab a couple of cups, then went back to the finish line to wait for Sharon.  I decided to run up to my car and put down my water bottle and change shoes, and as I finished I saw her coming down the home stretch.  I ran up to snap a couple of pictures of her then back down to the finish line.  I grabbed her some water so she wouldn't have to search for it.  I took her back up to my car so she could put her things down and then we had a post-race snack -

Pizza!!!

My dear friend, Dr. Bo, also ran this race, except he ran BOTH the 5K AND the 10K.  He is a rockstar!!  They were doing awards inside a gym that was in the plaza where the race was held, and I wanted to congratulate him and tell him good-bye.  He asked how I did and when I told him it was my first 10K, he reached into his bag and pulled out this -

His award for finishing first in his age group for the 10K!  When I told him I couldn't take his award, he told me he has a set of them at home and that I needed something to commemorate my first 10K race.  It's now sitting on our desk at home and makes me smile when I see it.

So now I'm halfway to my half marathon.  What's next?  I have started training for a 15K that happens in 2 months!

What races are you training for?

Until next time,

Jen